


The Time Of Flowers

by Liyi



Series: 00 line is the best! [5]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, First Love, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 01:17:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16800814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liyi/pseuds/Liyi
Summary: In which they experience the beauty of flowers.





	The Time Of Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in just two days so I'm proud of myself XD I've been very busy recently and now I've even found a job so that's why I worked so hard on this since I won't have much time. I've got another ot4 fic coming up that I'm really enjoying writing. I haven't come up with a proper title for it but I'll give you a hint. King and his consorts. 
> 
> That's it. Enjoy the one-shot!

Donghyuck always knew that one day his body would be covered in flowers.

The first time he ever noticed the flower markings was when he was five, watching as his mother pulled out a batch of cookies she had just baked.

"Done! And we just have to wait for it to cool." She said, pulling her mittens off and revealing the marking of a rose on her wrist.

It looked almost like a bracelet with how it's stem went around her arm.

Curiously he had asked about it, making his mother smile.

"One day you'll get one of your own." She had said.

"Really?"

"Yes. When you find your true love a flower representing them will show up on your arm. That's when you'll know."

At the time, five old year Donghyuck had been so excited, rushing over with some cookies to his best friend Jeno's house to tell him the good news.

Jeno had been confused, but didn't say anything as Donghyuck rambled on excitedly, too amused by his behaviour.

That was what their relationship was like. Donghyuck was the one who talked, while Jeno was the one who listened. It had been that way ever since they were just babies.

That was the way it stayed for a long time, up until they were twelve.

A boy named Mark moved into the neighborhood, having come all the way from _Canada._

Immediately Donghyuck knew he was going to make the elder his friend. Jeno just came along for the heck of it when he introduced himself to Mark, claiming that they were going to be best friends.

Their twosome expands into a trio like that, and Donghyuck is infatuated.

He liked Mark, and he doesn't really bother to hide it. He also knew that Mark may or may not like him, and though the possibility of being in a one-sided love broke his heart, Donghyuck finds that he was more than fine with it.

Jeno _wasn't_

The boy didn't like it at all, trying to convince him to just give it up and get over Mark.

"Your only going to get your heart broken." He repeated, sounding frustrated.

"Why?" Is all Donghyuck askdd in the end, feeling a little heart-broken that his friend of all people was telling him this.

Jeno stopped talking, realising that maybe he's taken it too far when he saw the hurt look on the boy's face.

Under his shirt, his skin itched as he took in what this meant.

That was the moment things changed between the two.

At first, Donghyuck didn't really notice anything when Jeno started skipping out on their meetings, stopped coming over to his house as often and stopped sitting with them at lunch everyday.

It hadn't bother him that much because he had thought that the boy had finally gained other friends to hang out with. He was always telling him to get out and interact and he would be a hypocrite to be unhappy for it.

It was when they turned thirteen that a new boy moved into their neighborhood.

A few days later he showed up in class and introduced himself as Na Jaemin. Immediately Donghyuck liked him with his bright personality, bright laughter and bright smile.

Everything about him is touched by the sun, and Donghyuck thought that the two of them would get along well until he saw it.

From a distance he saw the way Jeno swung his arm around Jaemin, laughing along with him happily as they walked down the hallway after class.

The way he smiled and laughed was different from anything Donghyuck has ever seen from him and something in his heart seemed to shrink at the sight.

His skin itched.

He recomposed himself, slapping a smile on as he called out to Jeno. He saw how the boy faltered, smile falling before he recovered.

Donghyuck shrunk a little at that, feeling uncomfortable as he stands in front of the pair.

"Hi," He greeted Jaemin, trying to make his smile feel not as forced. "I'm Donghyuck."

"Ah!" He exclaimed, eyes bright as he turns to Jeno. "He's your best friend right?" 

Donghyuck glanced over to Jeno, wondering what exactly he told Jaemin about him.

"Jeno's told me lots about you!" The younger gashed excitedly, making Jeno hit him on the shoulder to get him to stop.

"Nana!" He whined, making Jaemin laugh. Donghyuck's discomfort only raised as he realised that they were even on a nickname level. 

"Alright, alright, don't get mad~"

"Who says I'm mad? I'm not!"

The two bicker back and forth, and the ease they have with each other unsettled Donghyuck. 

He felt invisible.

He shouldn't. He's Jeno's best friend. They've known each other since they were in diapers. Jaemin has nothing on him.

So...why didn't it feel like it?

As Donghyuck looked at the two, his heart broke a little more.

"I-I have to go now!" He stuttered out an excuse to their confusion, feeling tears raise in his eyes. There was no way he would cry in front of them. 

Donghyuck turned and fled from the scene.

Later that night he stared at himself in the mirror, hand tracing the marking that had suddenly appeared on his side.

A Marigold.

___

Donghyuck didn't tell anyone about the marking.

It's his secret, and it was going to stay that way.

Luckily it was on his side so it was easily hidden. It was quite large, covering nearly half of his stomach in bright yellow.

It was actually very pretty, too pretty in fact.

It hurt to look at it.

Something so beautiful, only brought him pain in the end. 

In all honesty, Donghyuck doesn't know how to deal with this. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever expect to be in this situation.

So he did something that he normally wouldn't do.

He ran.

He distanced himself from Jeno in an attempt to protect his own heart, despite knowing that it wouldn't work.

It's easier than expected, which somehow made him feel worse. Jeno took it without question, the most he ever did was look at him sadly as he tried to ignore it.

But from time to time Donghyuck still talked to Jaemin since it wasn't like he can outright ignore him when they were in the same class.

For the most part though he just sticks to Mark. The elder doesn't ask any questions and he even got the feeling that he already knew what was going on.

Like that, three years pass by without much issue.

Donghyuck had become a bit of a loner compared to the social butterfly he was back in middle school, but he was fine with fading into the background.

It was easier that way, especially since Jaemin and Jeno had become the _it_ couple of the school.

The shy Lee Jeno of the past was no more, replaced by a confident boy who was even the captain of the school's basketball team.

Donghyuck had to admit that Jaemin did wonders for Jeno, more than he ever did.

He saw the pair more often than he cared for since they were grouped into the same class. While he stayed in the back, they stayed in the front, meaning that he spent a lot of his time staring at the back of their heads.

It was during one of those sessions that he forgot to pay any attention to the teacher, only snapping out of it when he heard Mr Jung call out his name.

"Lee Donghyuck, Na Jaemin and Huang Renjun. You three will be partners for the project." 

_What?_

Donghyuck was stunned speechless, staying rooted to his seat until the bell rang.

He saw Jaemin approaching him, panicking at what to do when the boy stopped right in front of him with a wide smile. "Hi." He greeted politely.

Donghyuck tried his best not to flinch or seem uncomfortable, keeping his eyes averted from Jeno who stood a few steps behind Jaemin.

Renjun approached as well, looking nervous, which was understandable. The boy had only moved to Korea from China a year ago and judging from how quiet he usually was, Donghyuck had the assumption that maybe his Korean wasn't all that good yet.

"So, where are we going to meet up? Me, you or Injun's house?" Jaemin asked.

"I'm sorry but we can't go to my house." Renjun quickly butted in. 

"We can meet up at my house then." Donghyuck suggested. He didn't really want to go to Jaemin's house where there was a high possibility of running into Jeno.

"Oh sure. Is that okay with you Injun?"

Renjun nodded. "When are we meeting up?"

"Is Saturday okay? I've got stuff going on." Donghyuck said.

"Sure."

"That's fine. I will need your address though..."

Donghyuck quickly shifted through his bag, trying to find paper when Jaemin did it for him, handing him a small slip of torn-off paper.

"Thanks." He muttered, going to write on it when he suddenly paused seeing the figure drawn onto the paper.

Oh.

Donghyuck hadn't known that Jeno still kept the notebook. It had been the last birthday gift he gave to the boy.

He tried not to let himself get too affected by it, quickly writing down his address before passing it to Renjun who excused himself immediately.

Donghyuck focused on packing up his bag, ignoring to the best of his ability Jaemin and Jeno who were taking their own sweet time leaving.

He only glanced back up just as they passed by the window, the sight of their intertwined hands causing his chest to ache slightly.

___

Later that night, for the first time in a long time, Donghyuck took a good look at his marking.

It's no longer the bright yellow it once was, now having turned a dull yellow.

Just like a real flower that bloomed, it was also dying.

This was a confirmation that his feelings for Jeno were slowly disappearing.

Donghyuck could lie and say he was relieved, but really he just felt awful.

But if there was anything that he had grown good at, it was pretending that everything was fine. 

So that was what he did.

"So this is your room..." Renjun muttered, sitting down on the floor. 

"Do you guys want anything to drink?" Donghyuck asked, wanting to make them comfortable.

"No worries, I have my coffee." Jaemin pointed at his starbucks drink, making Renjun frown.

"You drink way too much coffee Jaemin."

"It's fine Jun."

"No it isn't. Your going to die from drinking too much coffee."

"No I won't."

Renjun rolled his eyes at that and Donghyuck blinks, more than a little surprised at his sass.

"You two already know each other?" He asked, a little frown settling on his face.

"No."

"Yes."

They both answer differently, making Jaemin give Renjun the side-eye. "Yes we do. I often see him in the dance studio."

 _Dance studio?_ Donghyuck turned to the elder with curious eyes as the boy flushes prettily.

"You dance?" He asked.

"Sometimes. Mostly ballet." Renjun admitted.

"He's awesome at it." Jaemin cuts in excitedly. "He's super graceful and when he has that look of concentration on he looks super _hot-"_

"YAH!" Renjun yells in protest, shoving Jaemin to get him to stop talking. The boy ends up falling over from the force, nearly spilling his drink in the process.

"You almost made me spill my coffee!"

"Oops." Renjun doesn't sound the slightest bit sorry about it.

Donghyuck can't stop himself from giggling a little, finding the two of them hilarious.

"You know you really should stop flirting with me." Renjun deadpanned in an unamused tone. "Don't you have a boyfriend?"

At the mention, Donghyuck suddenly sombered, laughter dying away in his throat as the atmosphere grew awkward.

"He isn't my boyfriend..." Jaemin admitted softly, confusing the two other boys.

Donghyuck wanted to ask questions, but the look on Jaemin's face told him not to, so he kept quiet.

"Let's start working on our project then!" Renjun exclaimed loudly, shifting the focus.

Surprisingly the three of them made a good team, making progress quickly as they lost track of time.

"Hyuck." The door opened as his mother poked her head in. "It's time for dinner. Are your friends staying as well?"

In the end, it was his mother who made the decision for them with her insistence.

Their dinner table was always crowded with four boys to feed, but with six it became almost unbearable.

His brothers seemed to like Jaemin and Renjun a lot by the way they asked the two of them questions. Donghyuck tried to stop them, but his brothers had never been scared of him and thus just ignored his heated glaring.

At least Renjun and Jaemin seemed to be having a good time with how much they laughed.

"Your brothers are funny Hyuck." Jaemin muttered softly, leaning into him.

Donghyuck was a little flustered by the use of the nickname, recovering quickly to roll his eyes. "They're annoying though."

"They make things lively. Honestly I'm a little jealous as an only child." He admitted, chuckling a little.

Later that night after the two of them were gone, Donghyuck laid on his bed, head whirring with thoughts.

They weren't as bad as he thought they would be he admitted. Maybe they could be friends. Maybe.

After that, things began to change.

When Jaemin would wave at him, Donghyuck would wave back, something that shocked Mark when he saw it.

"Yah, when did you become friends with Jaemin?" He asked, sitting next to him at their usual table.

Donghyuck shrugged. "He's a nice person Mark. Better than I thought he would be."

"That's good. Maybe now you can talk to Jeno."

He sighed, "You know that's not going to happen."

"But why-"

"Hey Renjun!" He called out, cutting off Mark as he spotted the boy entering the cafeteria.

Renjun looked shocked for a moment before making his way over to them. "Hi Donghyuck." He muttered shyly, glancing over to Mark nervously. 

"Sit down Injun!" He said, getting the boy to do as he asked.

Donghyuck gestured to his best friend off-handly. "This is Mark Lee. He's an old man."

"Oh come on I'm only a year older than you." He complained. 

"See? An old man." Donghyuck smiled, teasing the eldest harmlessly. Renjun cracked a small smile at that. 

"Your not painting today?" He asked, changing the topic.

"You noticed?" Renjun exclaimed, sounding surprised.

Donghyuck shrugged. "You always disappear during lunch. I was walking to the music room when I spotted you in the art room once. I just assumed that's where you spend most of your time."

His story was actually a bit of a lie. While he did accidentally found out where Renjun spent his time, he has spied on him from time to time while he was painting. 

Donghyuck knew that it was creepy of him, but Renjun was actually really talented at painting, creating works of art that were stunning.

"Ah," The boy smiled, "Maybe sometime I can show you my work. In fact," Renjun reached over to his backpack, pulling out a sketchbook.

He flipped to a certain page, handing it over to Donghyuck to look at.

Donghyuck stared at it in silence. "It's beautiful Renjun." He muttered in awe.

The detail in the sketch was amazing, and it made his heart skip a beat the more he examined it.

_He got all of Jeno's features correct._ He thought, taking in all perfectly drawn face. 

"It's great Renjun. What's it for?" Mark asked. 

"Thanks for the compliment. I'm actually planning to give it to him as a birthday present since I don't have much money to spend on a gift. Do you think he'll like it?" Renjun asked nervously, blushing a little.

"Like it? He'll love it Jun." Donghyuck gashed. Jeno was the type to appreciate handmade stuff over store-brought stuff since he found it more meaningful.

"Thanks."

Donghyuck looked from the sketch, taking in the shy look on Renjun's face with curiosity.

 _Could it be...?_ He glanced over at Mark for confirmation, only to get a raised eyebrow in return.

"Hey Renjun, can I ask you something?" Donghyuck blurted out before he could overthink this and back down.

"What is it?"

"Do you like Jeno?"

Renjun doesn't answer, eyes widening in shock and that's all the answer he needed.

Somehow Donghyuck doesn't feel awful about it, only smiling calmly at the boy. "So you do."

Renjun blushed, "I didn't think it was that obvious." He muttered out in embarrassment, burying his face in his hands.

"Well you did create a detailed sketch of Jeno that requires more than a little bit of staring." Donghyuck teased, handing the sketchbook back.

From between his hands, he looked at them. "You guys are okay with it? That I'm... you know."

Mark only laughed at the question, letting Donghyuck answer for him. "The crazy guy laughing his head off has his own boyfriend." 

Mark calmed down, nodding his head. "He's the best."

"We don't need to hear how whipped you are for Jaehyun hyung Markie." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head in dismay.

It still puzzled Donghyuck what Jaehyun saw in Mark, especially since they first met when the boy was in literal diapers.

Renjun looked relieved. "That's good. I wasn't sure that you would be okay with it. I'm glad you think Jeno will like the sketch."

The boy looked back down at his sketchbook, and his eyes filled with some kind of emotion as he touched the page. 

Fondness.

Donghyuck's heart clenched at the sight, and he has to look away.

This won't end well, he's sure of it.

That look that Renjun has was the exact same look Jeno has whenever he looks at Jaemin. 

He was going to have his heart broken just like him.

And yet something still blooms deep inside his chest.

___

Donghyuck's brain feels like it's fried at this point.

"Can we stop?" He whined, banging his head on the coffee table.

"No, I'm not stopping until I win!" Renjun retorts. 

God, he never expected the boy to have a competitive streak. If he did, he would have just thrown that first game of Mario Kart.

From behind them he could hear Jaemin laugh, having wisely chosen to stay out of it.

Donghyuck looks back at him, gesturing with his eyes for the younger to do something.

Luckily Jaemin is soft-hearted. "I'm gonna go buy some snacks. Who wants to come?" He lied.

Donghyuck immediately shot to his feet. "Me!"

"You two go. I'm going to stay here." Renjun said, and he nearly sighs out loud in relief.

Once they were out the door, Jaemin let out a loud laugh, apparently finding the whole thing hilarious.

Donghyuck frowns, but doesn't say a word, not when Jaemin seems so happy.

"Are we actually going to the store?" He asked once the younger was done laughing.

"Of course we are. I'll pay this time."

"Ooh. Are you going to be my sugar daddy?" He teased, trying to get a rise out of Jaemin, forgetting that the boy is equally as shameless.

"That depends. Are you willing to be my sugar baby?" He teased back. Something about Jaemin's tone makes Donghyuck blush, reluctantly realising that even he can't beat the boy.

The walk to the store is comfortable. The two of them who were usually so chatty were silent for once.

It was only when they reached the store and were picking out ice creams that Jaemin finally spoke.

"Are you coming to the party?" 

Huh? Donghyuck looked at the boy in confusion for a moment before realising what he was referring to. 

"Ah, Jeno's birthday party? Probably not."

Jaemin frowned. "Why? You should come. It'll be fun. Didn't you use to come to all his birthday parties in the past?"

That he did. There was even a time where he and Jeno were the only one celebrating since the birthday boy didn't care to invite anybody else.

Donghyuck shrugged, trying to stay unaffected.

"Oh come on. Just come for once. I promise it'll be fun!" Jaemin whined, grabbing onto his arm as he pouted.

Donghyuck sighed, looking at his face. God, why was Jaemin so stupidly handsome?

"But-"

"No buts! I'm sure Jeno would be happy to see you there. I would be happy too." He added shyly.

 _What does he mean by that?_ Donghyuck wondered, trying hard not to blush.

"Fine."

The word was out of his mouth before he could stop himself, and he was about to take it back when he saw the expression on Jaemin's face.

He looked so happy.

"Yes! I promise it'll be the best party you've ever been to Hyuck!"

Donghyuck couldn't keep himself from smiling at that.

___

Mark ended up being the one who dragged him to Jeno's party.

Donghyuck had been gotten cold feet, deciding that it was better not to go, but Mark wasn't going to accept that and took it upon himself to personally drag him there.

Donghyuck had forgotten how stubborn the elder could be at times.

So it was with a heavy heart that he ended up at Jeno's door step.

"It'll be fine Donghyuck." Mark assured, sensing how nervous he seemed.

The boy was about to reply when the door swung open and his eyes widened at the sight of bright pink hair.

"Hyuck, you came!" Jaemin exclaimed, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him inside while he was still distracted.

"Jaemin your hair..." Donghyuck muttered out in shock, staring blankly at how _pink_ it was. 

"You like it? Then don't get too shocked when you see Jeno then." Jaemin teased. 

"W-What do you mean?" He stuttered out, only receiving a mysterious smile from the younger.

Donghyuck found out exactly what the boy meant when he spotted a head of platinum blond hair through the crowd. It was almost like beacon with how bright it was.

Donghyuck wondered who it was, getting closer to check only to freeze once he saw who it actually was.

Lee Jeno was currently leaning against the wall with platinum-blond hair while talking with Renjun.

Quickly the boy spun around, heart pounding away in his chest only to suddenly bump into someone.

He hissed as cold liquid spilled onto him, getting all over his shirt and arms

"I'm so sorry!" The girl apologised, panicking at the mess but Donghyuck only shook his head.

"No, no, no. It's my fault." He smiled in an attempt to make the situation better, but on the inside he was panicking.

Damn, he really needed to get out of this shirt. It was getting all sticky and disgusting. 

"You can go change inside my room." With how distracted he was, Donghyuck didn't notice Jeno and Renjun approaching until they stood behind him.

The boy blushed, feeling somewhat embarrassed that they saw the entire thing. 

Quickly he did as Jeno said, retreating into his room upstairs.

Without thinking, he took off his shirt, shivering at the feel of coldness hitting his skin.

His shirt was definitely ruined. Great, just great.

"Hyuck I-" The door opened again with a much-too-familiar person announcing his presence before they both froze. 

Donghyuck's mind whirred inside his head, trying to come up with an explanation but how was he supposed to explain away his marking?

There was no way Jaemin would fall for the 'it's a tattoo' excuse that he's used exactly zero times because there was no way anybody with a brain would fall for it.

"Hyuck... Is that... Is that what I think it is?" Jaemin asked, sounding like the breath has been knocked out of him.

Donghyuck can only close his eyes and sigh in dismay. The words felt as heavy as lead on his tongue as he admitted to the one thing he thought he could hide forever. "Yes. It is."

"Who...?"

Donghyuck stayed quiet. How was he supposed to answer this?

There was no way he could say that it belonged to Jeno. That would probably break Jaemin's heart and that was something he _doesn't_ want to happen.

Jaemin was smart though, and there was only two clear suspects, one of which is already a no-go because Mark had a boyfriend.

"It's Jeno."

It wasn't a question rather than a statement that made Donghyuck flinch, unable to look at the boy.

"There's clothes in the closet. Just pick out whatever you want." Jaemin muttered, sounding so lost that he could feel his heart breaking in his chest.

In the end, it turned out to be a lot less dramatic than Donghyuck ever expected.

There was no yelling, there was no crying, only a sense of shock and somehow it felt so much worse than all the other scenarios he ever imagined.

Quickly Donghyuck pulled out a sweater from the closet before leaving the room, deciding that he couldn't stay.

He rushed outside, not even bothering to find Mark in his hurry to go back home.

He's so rushed that he doesn't notice that Renjun had followed after him until the elder grabbed his arm and forced him to a stop.

"Donghyuck..."

The tears running down his face made it hard for him to see Renjun, but there was no mistaking the concern laced through his voice. That was what made him _snap_

"W-What have I done Renjun?" He cried out in dismay, falling to the ground in a heap.

Why did he have to make everything so complicated with his goddamn feelings? Just why? 

Why?

Why?

_Why?_

Donghyuck just wanted things to be easy again. But those days were long over and all he was left with were the markings on his skin and the hallowness in his chest.

He grabbed onto Renjun tightly, too scared to let go. 

"What am I supposed to do Jun? What am I supposed to do? I never wanted to hurt Jaemin. I didn't want to. " He cried, wanting the boy to believe him so desperately.

"W-What should I do?"

Something flashed across Renjun's face in that moment that Donghyuck hadn't expected.

"There's nothing you can do. It's out already, you will have to deal with the consequences Hyuck. But you don't have to do it alone."

His tears suddenly stopped and he stared at Renjun in confusion.

Renjun sighed, looking away for a moment. "What am I saying is... and I know this probably isn't the best time to say this but I... I like you Donghyuck. I _really_ like you."

He stared at Renjun in disbelief, not quite believing his ears. "What?" He uttered softly.

Renjun smiled, tenderly wiping away his tears. "I know it's maybe a bit hard to believe, but I do like you Lee Donghyuck."

"B-But what about Jeno? Or Jaemin?" He asked.

"I like them too." He admitted. "You do as well don't you?"

Donghyuck swallowed, not knowing how to answer.

His skin itched as he thought back to all the different moments. All he could picture was Jaemin's face. 

Jaemin as he smiled as bright as the stars. Jaemin as he laughed until he cried.

Jaemin as his face twisted in pain. 

Renjun somehow knew faster than he did. 

"I like them." The words slipped out, and a small part of him immediately felt _relief._ He wasn't hiding anymore. 

Renjun reached over to pull the shell-shocked boy into his arms wordlessly. 

What should he do now?

___

Not much changed after that.

Donghyuck still went around the school invisible, after all his friend count went up by a total of one with the addition of Renjun,

Yes. Friends. It wasn't like he and Renjun suddenly started dating after the confession. They hadn't put a label on their relationship yet, not until they settled on what to do with Jeno and Jaemin.

Now that he had admitted it to himself, he had to admit it to the couple. Which was turning out more difficult than expected. 

Donghyuck was unsure how to approach them, especially after what happened with Jaemin.

He was sure that the younger would have told Jeno by now, and so he would have to explain himself. 

The thought of it made him nervous, because how could he explain himself? It was a stupid decision that only caused them pain. He regretted even choosing to do it. 

But while he was still in the middle of gathering up his courage, Donghyuck hadn't expected that he would do it first. 

It was the day that they had PE as their final period, so after changing in the locker rooms everybody could leave. Donghyuck had taken his time getting ready, so he had assumed that everyone else had already left.

"Hyuck." Jeno's voice startled him before he turned towards the boy who was waiting for him. "We need to talk."

His heart sped up and he nervously looked around anywhere but at Jeno. "About what?" Donghyuck asked nervously. 

"Jaemin told me."

He let out a breath, knowing that it was time. "And now that you know... What do you think?".

It took a while before he answered. "I nearly didn't believe him at first when he told me. I couldn't believe it. After all this time, hearing that you liked me back was... I didn't know how to react or what to do. But then Renjun knocked some sense into me."

"Renjun?" The mention of the boy surprised Donghyuck.

"Yes. He literally confronted me and called me an asshole, telling me to speak to you about it. That really woke me up."

Donghyuck waited for Jeno to say more, but was shocked when the boy only reached to take off his shirt.

"What are you doing?!" He exclaimed in panic, covering his eyes.

"Oh come on. It's not anything you haven't seen this before Hyuck." Jeno teased before going serious, "You have to look. So that you can understand."

At that, Donghyuck gained the courage to peek through his hands.

The first thing he noticed was how pale Jeno's body was, along with how toned it was.

And then he noticed the red flower on his collarbone. 

A Peony. 

There was no doubt who it belonged to. Jaemin. 

And his eyes then wandered down further, and his heart stuttered in his chest.

Bright yellow blossomed on Jeno's side, covering half of his stomach.

It was a _sunflower._

Tears sprung to his eyes in realisation of what this meant, hands slipping from his face.

"When?" Donghyuck choked out in confusion.

"Ever since I was eight." Jeno quietly admitted. "You remember the tree accident back then?"

"Of course."

"I wasn't totally unconscious after falling. I remember hearing you cry and I remember thinking that I didn't want to hear you sound so sad ever again. The very next day I found the sunflower on me."

Everything began to make sense in his head, but Donghyuck had to ask one final question.

"Then what happened with Mark...?"

"Yes, I was jealous. I was heart-broken when you looked at me like that after I told you to stop liking him. I know I deserved it, but I was too young to understand why you didn't like me back. That was why when you started to distance yourself from me I didn't bother to get you back. I'm sorry." Jeno apologised, bowing his head sheepishly.

Without thinking Donghyuck reached over, pulling Jeno to him. "It's okay. I forgive you. Can you forgive me?" He asked, burying himself under Jeno's chin.

"... There was nothing to forgive Hyuck."

___

It wasn't like their relationship suddenly changed at once.

The four of them knew that they liked each other and that was enough for them.

It was the small things that changed first.

Like how they would wait for each other after classes, and how they started sitting together at lunch.

They would gather in the art room whenever Renjun was painting, or in the dance studio whenever Jaemin wanted to practice.

Over time, more flowers bloomed on their bodies.

A Red Tulip curled up his right arm, joining the Marigold on his side and the Peony on his collarbone.

It never failed to send a thrill through Donghyuck whenever he saw how pink would peek through the neckline of Renjun's shirt, or when Jeno would roll his sleeves up to reveal red, or when Jaemin would stretch and his shirt would lift to reveal yellow.

Donghyuck remembered something his mother told him a long time ago.

_"One day you'll experience your own blossoming Hyuck. Your very own time of flowers if you will."_

It was their time of flowers.


End file.
